The automotive industry, in order to improve vehicle safety, has developed barrier crash testing as a method by which unanticipated failures to vehicles may be detected. By observing the unanticipated failures, appropriate countermeasure may be taken to improve the robustness of the vehicle thereby eliminating the failure altogether or providing insight to the engineering and design of alternative solutions.
In one such development barrier crash test, it was noted that damage to a fuel-sending unit on a 29-gallon fuel tank was observed. Upon further investigation, it was noted that the mason ring that secures the fuel-sending unit to the fuel tank had impacted a structural cross member during the crash test. The impact of the mason ring with the cross member had the undesirable affect of causing damage to the mason ring. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to reduce the impact force upon the mason ring to an acceptable level should the mason ring be impacted into such a cross member.
A Vehicle Fuel Tank Mounting and Protective Cage is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,246 issued to Chen et al. FIG. 3 discloses a fuel tank secured in place by the nest formed in the mounting and protective cage and held in position by the hold down members. The mounting and protective cage is shown mounted to a vertical surface of a frame rail. However, the mason ring or sending unit of the fuel tank is not protected.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,006 title Arrangement In A Fuel System In A Vehicle discloses a shield. During collisions the shield protects a filler cap mounted on a fuel pipe. However, it fails to disclose a shield that can reduce the impact force caused by the impingement of the filler cap into a cross member.
Also, in U.S. Pub. No 2002/0005312 a Fuel Tank for a Heavy Vehicle is disclosed. A recess is provided on the upper side of the tank by which a cover and a tank armature are situated. The recess provides protection from mechanical damages from, for example, a trailer chassis that swings past the recess and just above the cover or the tank armature. However, it also fails to disclose a shield that can reduce the impact force caused by the tank armature into a cross member.
In view of the above, it would be advantageous to reduce the impact force upon the mason ring to an acceptable level should the mason ring be impacted into such a cross member. It would also be beneficial to have a shield that reduces the impact force to a mason ring by using a ramped surface to divert the otherwise direct contract into sliding contact.